PROPERTY OF THE FAMILY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER
158Σ︎
Vianney Halter
Antiqua
A groundbreaking asymmetric pink gold perpetual calendar wristwatch with certificate of authenticity booklet and presentation box
Estimate
$100,000–200,000
Live June 13, 10:00 AM ET
Manufacturer
Vianney Halter
Year
Circa 2000s, Switzerland
Movement No
No. 21R
Case No
21R.60.A
Model Name
Antiqua
Material
18K pink gold
Calibre
Automatic, cal. VH198, 43 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
Crocodile
Clasp/Buckle
18K pink gold Vianney Halter pin buckle
Dimensions
40mm Diameter
Signed
Case, dial, movement, and buckle signed.
Accessories
Accompanied by Vianney Halter Antiqua certificate of authenticity and operating manual, specialized setting pin, and fitted winding porthole-style presentation box.
Full-Cataloguing
GOOD TO KNOW
• In like-new condition, having been serviced by the manufacture in 2015
• Original owner, fresh-to-market, and complete set
• 10th example in 18K pink gold to appear at public auction
Vianney Halter has an immense love of science fiction and space travel. Authors Jules Verne or H.G. Wells, and the television series Star Trek have had – and still do - a profound influence on his life and work. Visually, many of Halter’s watches channel elements of retrofuturism and steampunk, which were first identified as genres in the 1980s but draw their inspiration from the Victorian era and the American Wild West.
The perpetual calendar Antiqua was presented at BaselWorld in 1998 as Halter's interpretation of the classic wristwatch. Though initially reactions were confused, Halter’s vision took hold in the minds of collectors and before long, demand outpaced the production capacity. Each Antiqua required around 900 hours to finish, and the crown alone is comprised of 26 individual components including two rows of 12 individual, white gold rivets. Each dial is hand-crafted in either platinum or white gold, with the numerals engraved and then filled in with ink – all done in-house in Vianney Halter’s atelier. The riveted porthole apertures for the elements of the perpetual calendar display that comprise the Antiqua are inspired by Captain Nemo’s submarine from Verne’s novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Exceptionally, the movement features a sapphire rotor, so that the entirety of the mechanism is visible through the caseback.
Out of the 110 Antiqua models made by Halter, 48 were in pink gold. The present example in pink gold bears number 21 and is accompanied by its original certificate of authenticity booklet and automatic winding box with porthole, coming from the family of the original owner – a beloved and noteworthy American collector.
• In like-new condition, having been serviced by the manufacture in 2015
• Original owner, fresh-to-market, and complete set
• 10th example in 18K pink gold to appear at public auction
Vianney Halter has an immense love of science fiction and space travel. Authors Jules Verne or H.G. Wells, and the television series Star Trek have had – and still do - a profound influence on his life and work. Visually, many of Halter’s watches channel elements of retrofuturism and steampunk, which were first identified as genres in the 1980s but draw their inspiration from the Victorian era and the American Wild West.
The perpetual calendar Antiqua was presented at BaselWorld in 1998 as Halter's interpretation of the classic wristwatch. Though initially reactions were confused, Halter’s vision took hold in the minds of collectors and before long, demand outpaced the production capacity. Each Antiqua required around 900 hours to finish, and the crown alone is comprised of 26 individual components including two rows of 12 individual, white gold rivets. Each dial is hand-crafted in either platinum or white gold, with the numerals engraved and then filled in with ink – all done in-house in Vianney Halter’s atelier. The riveted porthole apertures for the elements of the perpetual calendar display that comprise the Antiqua are inspired by Captain Nemo’s submarine from Verne’s novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Exceptionally, the movement features a sapphire rotor, so that the entirety of the mechanism is visible through the caseback.
Out of the 110 Antiqua models made by Halter, 48 were in pink gold. The present example in pink gold bears number 21 and is accompanied by its original certificate of authenticity booklet and automatic winding box with porthole, coming from the family of the original owner – a beloved and noteworthy American collector.
Vianney Halter
Swiss | 1994Vianney Halter seeks to change how we view time and creates mechanical timepieces with retro-futuristic innovative timekeeping displays. One of his most famous models, the groundbreaking Anitqua, takes inspiration from the nineteenth century with an industrial, steampunk aesthetic, using a case with four separate dial displays that wowed collectors when it was first launched in 1998. For some of Halter's creations, literature — in particular that of Jules Verne — has been a source of inspiration. Halter continues to create futuristic case designs and works with complicated movements.